Tag: Aljamain Sterling

Ray Longo: Aljamain Sterling could’ve made Sean O’Malley fight like Adesanya vs. Romero but didn’t want to

Ray Longo says Aljamain Sterling wanted to put on a crowd-pleasing performance at UFC 292.

Ray Longo says [autotag]Aljamain Sterling[/autotag] wanted to put on a crowd-pleasing performance at UFC 292.

Sterling (23-4 MMA, 15-4 UFC) lost his bantamweight title to [autotag]Sean O’Malley[/autotag] (17-1 MMA, 9-1 UFC) by second-round TKO in this past Saturday’s main event at TD Garden in Boston.

Longo praised O’Malley for perfectly timing the right hand, but thinks the fight was going Sterling’s way until the stoppage. Longo also revealed that Sterling feared that his fight with O’Malley could resemble [autotag]Israel Adesanya[/autotag]’s lackluster title defense against [autotag]Yoel Romero[/autotag] at UFC 248, which could have thrown him off.

“The guy is good,” Longo said on the Anik & Florian Podcast. “He’s a great striker – there’s no question about it. Look, all three judges gave Aljo the first round, and I think deservingly so. But in between rounds, I really told Aljo, ‘Let’s go kick heavy. Let’s offset his punches. What I was looking at in the first round was a guy that didn’t want to commit. I think he was afraid of the takedown, and we knew that was going to happen, but I wasn’t really sure. I think O’Malley expected Aljo to do in the first round what he did in the second round.

“Aljo’s point was he could have made it like an Adesanya vs. Romero fight, but it would have been so displeasing to the crowd – which I’m surprised, because normally he doesn’t talk like he gives a sh*t about the crowd. The burden would have been on Sean. He would have been down two rounds if Aljo just does the same thing as in the first round. I don’t think he was making a move. Now I think it’s because he was waiting for Aljo to shoot in, but then somebody said he did have a bad rib. Maybe that played into it, too, that he was just going to keep his distance. But motherf*cker was accurate. He hit a beautiful counter.”

Sterling was initially against making a quick turnaround after defending his belt against Henry Cejudo at UFC 288 in May, but eventually succumbed to it. Longo says the UFC ended up getting their wish.

“It is what it is, but he did make the walk after three months,” Longo said. “He 100 percent didn’t want to do it a couple of months ago, but once he committed, he had a good camp. There’s absolutely no excuses. The UFC wanted what they wanted and they got what they wanted for sure.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 292.

Alexander Volkanovski considered Aljamain Sterling over Ilia Topuria but ‘that’s not happening’ after UFC 292 loss

Featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski no longer sees Aljamain Sterling as a potential challenger.

Featherweight champion [autotag]Alexander Volkanovski[/autotag] no longer sees [autotag]Aljamain Sterling[/autotag] as a potential challenger.

Sterling (23-4 MMA, 15-4 UFC) was planning on moving up a division after attempting to defend his bantamweight title against Sean O’Malley, but those plans were spoiled when he was TKO’d in Round 2 in this past Saturday’s UFC 292 headliner at TD Garden in Boston.

Volkanovski (26-2 MMA, 13-1 UFC) called Sterling class for saying that if O’Malley was able to take him out, he can only imagine what Volkanovski would do. Sterling also appeared to have a change in plans, and would like to rematch O’Malley.

“(I’ve) got to feel for Aljo, man,” Volkanovski said on his YouTube channel. “I mean, what does he want to do? He’s definitely going to want that rematch because it’s a big fight.”

Volkanovski doesn’t see a fight with Sterling happening anymore. Waiting in the wings is top contender [autotag]Ilia Topuria[/autotag], who Volkanovski says could have been leapfrogged by Sterling had he beat O’Malley.

“That’s not happening,” Volkanovski said of fighting Sterling. “You never know. If he had a big win, he could have took Ilia’s spot.”

Volkanovski, who’s coming off a title defense against Yair Rodriguez at UFC 290 in July, had options. He was eyeing a rematch with lightweight champion Islam Makhachev before he was booked in a rematch vs. Charles Oliveira, and was willing to entertain Sterling’s callout if he beat O’Malley.

But with the way things played out, Volkanovski is zeroing in on Topuria before the end of the year – even though the unbeaten rising star has been uncharacteristically quiet as of late.

“What’s next for me? Aljo, if he was to win in wild fashion and called his shot, he could have stepped in front of Ilia,” Volkanovski said. “Ilia’s been pretty quiet. I thought he would be chirping, wanting to make sure he gets that fight. But I want to fight as soon as possible. Obviously my elbow (isn’t 100 percent), but I’m able to do a fair bit. I’m not punching with it yet, but I will be. I’m staying fit, doing strength, doing everything I need to.

“I want to be back in there before the end of the year. Islam’s fighting. I want that rematch, but he’s fighting in October, so I want to fight before then. I don’t want to fight early next year. If I was going to wait that long, it might as well be Islam, but I don’t want to wait that long. So Ilia, keep running your mouth because I like it. (It) revs me up – makes me want to punch you in the face even more.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 292.

Israel Adesanya: O’Malley vs. Sterling ‘could have gone a little bit longer, but it would have been bad’

Israel Adesanya thinks Marc Goddard’s stoppage of Sean O’Malley vs. Aljamain Sterling was fair.

[autotag]Israel Adesanya[/autotag] thinks Marc Goddard’s stoppage of [autotag]Sean O’Malley[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Aljamain Sterling[/autotag] was fair.

O’Malley (17-1 MMA, 9-1 UFC) scored a second-round TKO of Sterling (23-4 MMA, 15-4 UFC) to claim the bantamweight title in this past Saturday’s UFC 292 headliner at TD Garden in Boston.

Less than a minute into Round 2, O’Malley caught Sterling with a perfect counter right which face planted him. He was able to land a few clean follow-up shots, but Sterling appeared to be moving when Goddard waived the fight off at the 51-second mark. Adesanya thinks Sterling could have had more time to try and recover, but doubts he would have.

“It could have gone for a little bit longer, but it would have been bad,” Adesanya said on his YouTube channel. “He was just on. He was standing over him – clean finish.”

Prior to the fight, UFC middleweight champion Adesanya had a gut feeling that O’Malley was going to pull off the upset so wasn’t entirely surprised with the outcome.

“Destiny,” Adesanya said. “That’s destiny, man. What did I say? I said he’s going to touch him. He’s going to knock him out. Take the moment in, son. It’s called destiny, man. Sometimes, when it’s a n*gga’s time, it’s a n*gga’s time.”

Adesanya applauded Sterling for his classy post-fight speech and how he handled the loss.

“It happens, man,” Adesanya said. “Sometimes you’re the hammer, sometimes you’re a nail.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 292.

Sean Shelby’s Shoes: What’s next for Aljamain Sterling after UFC 292 title loss?

Aljamain Sterling has some big decisions to make after losing the bantamweight title to Sean O’Malley at UFC 292.

(ALSO SEE: Sean Shelby’s Shoes: What’s next for Sean O’Malley after UFC 292 title win?)

The most statistically successful bantamweight title reign in UFC history came to a sudden end on Saturday when [autotag]Aljamain Sterling[/autotag] dropped the strap to Sean O’Malley in the UFC 292 headliner.

After racking up a divisional record three consecutive title defenses, Sterling (23-4 MMA, 15-4 UFC) saw his time on top halted courtesy of a perfect counter right hand from O’Malley (17-1 MMA, 9-1 UFC) that led to the second-round TKO result at TD Garden in Boston. It was a heart-breaking moment for Sterling, who had to take the most difficult road possible to reach champion status then hold onto it for as long as he did.

The true character of a person is revealed in their lowest moments, however, and Sterling showed nothing but class, honesty and vulnerability in the aftermath of his defeat. He faced the music like a true competitor and upstanding human, and all the people that threw dirt on his name about the way he won the belt and conducted himself as champion need to watch his post-fight press conference (embedded above). If you don’t finish that video feeling like you’ve probably been a bit harsh to Sterling in recent years, then your perspective of him is probably permanently skewed.

Nevertheless, it’s a difficult situation for Sterling. He called for an immediate rematch against O’Malley, but good luck with that. Both O’Malley and UFC president Dana White pretty much blew off that idea when it was presented post-fight, and anyone who has been paying close enough attention knows the UFC is not going to go out of its way to do Sterling any favors. He knows that, too.

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That leaves him with a big decision to make, and two obvious options are in play: Stay at 135 pounds and try to win his way into a rematch with O’Malley, or make a long-discussed move up to featherweight. Both possibilities come with their own set of challenges.

If Sterling, 34, stays put and wants to chase O’Malley, where does he fit in the queue? Marlon Vera is seemingly headed to the next title shot. He won’t fight his teammate Merab Dvalishvili, and has already been a roadblock in the way of his friend’s title hopes for long enough. Cory Sandhagen is on his own title trajectory, though there could be interest in a rematch with Sterling already holding a quick submission win over him.

There just doesn’t seem to be a right or obvious answer in this division for Sterling.

But are his prospects at featherweight any better? If Sterling had won this fight and moved up, he would’ve have a great argument to go right into a champion-vs-champion fight with Alexander Volkanovski. That’s off the table now, though, because it’s highly unlikely Sterling would be granted a title fight in a higher division after a knockout loss.

His status as a former UFC champ could buy him some good will, however, and maybe Sterling could jump right into a matchup with a high-ranked contender like a Brian Ortega or Arnold Allen. If he wins that, then he would be in business.

It’s a crossroads moment for Sterling in the aftermath of losing his title, but he’s an intelligent man, and whichever path he chooses, it will surely be well thought out and not made in haste.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 292.

UFC 292 post-event facts: Ian Machado Garry enters record book with 6-0 octagon start

The best facts to come out of UFC 292, which saw Sean O’Malley, Zhang Weili, Ian Machado Garry and others record statistical achievements.

One of the biggest UFC events of the year thus far went down Saturday with UFC 292, which took place at TD Garden in Boston and featured two championship fights with different results.

In the main event, [autotag]Sean O’Malley[/autotag] (17-1 MMA, 9-1 UFC) shocked [autotag]Aljamain Sterling[/autotag] (23-4 MMA, 15-4 UFC) with a second-round TKO to capture the bantamweight belt, while in the co-headliner, [autotag]Zhang Weili[/autotag] (24-3 MMA, 8-2 UFC) got her second strawweight title reign off a dominant start with a lopsided unanimous decision over Brazilian challenger [autotag]Amanda Lemos[/autotag] (13-3-1 MMA, 7-3 UFC).

For more on the numbers behind the two championship bouts, as well as the rest of the card, check below for MMA Junkie’s post-event facts from UFC 292.

Aljamain Sterling has no excuses after UFC 292, wants Sean O’Malley rematch to ‘get some definitive answers’

Following UFC 292, Aljamain Sterling faced the music and answered questions from the media about his loss to Sean O’Malley.

BOSTON – [autotag]Aljamain Sterling[/autotag] hopes the tale of him vs. [autotag]Sean O’Malley[/autotag] is not over, in the wake of pure disappointment.

In the UFC 292 main event, Sterling (23-4 MMA, 15-4 UFC) was knocked out by O’Malley (17-1 MMA, 9-1 UFC) at 0:51 of Round 2 after a close first round. The loss was his second knockout loss, ended his bantamweight title run, and snapped a nine-fight winning streak.

“It definitely sucks,” Sterling told MMA Junkie and other reporters at a post-fight news conference. “I’m not going to lie about that. There was a lot coming into this fight. The quick turnaround and everything, but I was happy to do it. No excuses.”

The finishing sequence (which can be viewed in full here), came after Sterling was dropped with a right hand. As O’Malley swarmed, Sterling eventually turned to his belly and referee Marc Goddard dove in to stop the fight.

While he said he felt relatively OK (despite forgetting what state he was in), Sterling thinks he could’ve gone a bit longer – though he holds no ill will toward Goddard.

“I felt like the fight could’ve still kept going, to be honest,” Sterling said. “I rolled over to try to come back up, and as soon as he stepped in, I was fine. It was just one of those things. I can’t be mad at the ref. It is what it is.”

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While he was complimentary of his opponent and refused to discredit the win when given the opportunity, Sterling wants a second opportunity to prove he’s capable of victory.

“I would love to have a rematch,” Sterling said. “… I don’t know which ways I’m going to go with things. I would first and foremost love a chance to run that back and just to get some definitive answers.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 292.

UFC 292 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: All-time program total passes $20 million

Fighters from Saturday’s UFC 292 took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $340.500.

BOSTON – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC 292 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $340.500.

The program, a comprehensive plan that includes outfitting requirements, media obligations and other items under the fighter code of conduct, replaces the previous payments made under the UFC Athlete Outfitting Policy.

UFC 292 took place at TD Garden. The main card aired on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and ESPN+.

The full UFC 292 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

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[autotag]Sean O’Malley[/autotag]: $32,000
def. [autotag]Aljamain Sterling[/autotag]: $42,000

[autotag]Zhang Weili[/autotag]: $42,000
def. [autotag]Amanda Lemos[/autotag]: $32,000

[autotag]Ian Machado Garry[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Neil Magny[/autotag]: $21,00

[autotag]Mario Bautista[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Da’Mon Blackshear[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Marlon Vera[/autotag]: $21,000
def. [autotag]Pedro Munhoz[/autotag]: $16,000

[autotag]Brad Tavares[/autotag]: $21,000
def. [autotag]Chris Weidman[/autotag]: $16,000

[autotag]Gregory Rodrigues[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Denis Tiuliulin[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Kurt Holobaugh[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Austin Hubbard[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Brad Katona[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Cody Gibson[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Andre Petroski[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Gerald Meerschaert[/autotag]: $16,000

[autotag]Natalia Silva[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Andrea Lee[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Karine Silva[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Maryna Moroz[/autotag]: $11,000

Under the UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance program’s payout tiers, which appropriate the money generated by Venum’s multi-year sponsorship with the UFC, fighters are paid based on their total number of UFC bouts, as well as Zuffa-era WEC fights (January 2007 and later) and Zuffa-era Strikeforce bouts (April 2011 and later). Fighters with 1-3 bouts receive $4,000 per appearance; 4-5 bouts get $4,500; 6-10 bouts get $6,000; 11-15 bouts earn $11,000; 16-20 bouts pocket $16,000; and 21 bouts and more get $21,000. Additionally, champions earn $42,000 while title challengers get $32,000.

In addition to experience-based pay, UFC fighters will receive in perpetuity royalty payments amounting to 20-30 percent of any UFC merchandise sold that bears their likeness, according to officials.

Full 2023 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:

Year-to-date total: $5,735,500
2022 total: $8,351,500
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $20,324,500

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 292.

UFC 292 results: Sean O’Malley drops, finishes Aljamain Sterling in Round 2 to win bantamweight title

Sean O’Malley’s striking prevailed against Aljamain Sterling to win the UFC bantamweight title in the main event of UFC 292 in Boston.

[autotag]Sean O’Malley[/autotag] walks out of Boston as the new UFC men’s bantamweight champion after making good on his promise to finish Aljamain Sterling.

O’Malley (17-1 MMA, 9-1 UFC) became the second Dana White’s Contender Series veteran to win UFC gold after stopping Sterling (23-4 MMA, 15-4 UFC) in the main event of UFC 292 at TD Garden. The official time of the stoppage for the bantamweight title fight was 0:51 of Round 2.

With 25 minutes to work, neither fighter committed to much early on. The feel-out process lasted for a majority of the round, as they took turns controlling the center of the cage, while offering single strikes at a time, mostly leg kicks. Sterling was able to grab a hold of O’Malley’s leg late in the round to initiate a clinch, and land some short punches before the fighters returned to their corners.

The action picked up quickly in the second round. O’Malley slipped after a kick in the opening seconds, which gave Sterling an opening to look for a takedown. Sterling was quick to get in on the legs, but O’Malley slipped away.

A moment later, Sterling rushed in with a left hand, and O’Malley landed a laser of a right counter to send him to the canvas. O’Malley followed up with big hammerfists as Sterling attempted to stay in it, but the referee saw enough and called a stop to the fight.

“Doubt me now!” O’Malley repeated as he walked around the octagon while waiting for the official decision to be read.

During his post-fight interview, O’Malley admitted his nervousness ahead of the fight, while showing respect to Sterling by once again calling him the best bantamweight in the world. He then turned his attention to pondering a rematch against Marlon Vera, who won a unanimous decision over Pedro Munhoz earlier on the main card.

O’Malley entered on the heels of a split decision win over former champion Petr Yan at UFC 280, which was his fourth-consecutive win, and the only decision of his winning streak. Saturday evening, he returned to his finishing ways to stop Sterling and claim the division’s title.

Sterling suffers his first loss since 2017, when Marlon Moraes finished him with a knee in the first round. Since that moment, Sterling rattled off nine-straight wins, including capturing the bantamweight title and recording three title defenses.

Up-to-the-minute UFC 292 results include:

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 292.

Twitter reacts to Sean O’Malley’s title-winning TKO of Aljamain Sterling at UFC 292

The MMA community reacted to Sean O’Malley completing his rise by dethroning Aljamain Sterling for the title in the UFC 292 main event.

[autotag]Sean O’Malley[/autotag] achieved what many believe was a long-awaited coronation on Saturday when he claimed the bantamweight title from [autotag]Aljamain Sterling[/autotag] in the UFC 292 main event.

O’Malley (17-1 MMA, 9-1 UFC) became the sixth undisputed champion in 135-pound history with a second-round TKO victory over Sterling (23-4 MMA, 15-4 UFC) in the headlining bout at TD Garden in Boston.

Check below for the top Twitter reactions to O’Malley’s title win over Sterling at UFC 292.

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UFC 292 play-by-play and live results

Check out live play-by-play from UFC 292 in Boston with Aljamain Sterling vs. Sean O’Malley and Zhang Weili vs. Amanda Lemos title fights.

BOSTON – UFC 292 took place at TD Garden. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and early prelims on ESPN+.

In the main event, bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling (23-4 MMA, 15-4 UFC) took on challenger Sean O’Malley (17-1 MMA, 9-1 UFC). Sterling holds the UFC record for most consecutive title defenses at 135 pounds. In the co-feature, women’s strawweight champ Zhang Weili (24-3 MMA, 8-2 UFC) met challenger Amanda Lemos (13-3-1 MMA, 7-3 UFC) in the first test of her second reign as titleholder.

In addition, former middleweight champ Chris Weidman (15-7 MMA, 11-7 UFC) returned from more than two years out after a severe broken leg in 2021. He took on Brad Tavares (20-9 MMA, 15-8 UFC) in a featured bout on the prelims. Plus, two new “Ultimate Fighter” winners will be crowned on the prelims.